


Iron Jewellery

by AngelsSelene



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Human!Alec, M/M, fae!Magnus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-05
Updated: 2018-08-05
Packaged: 2019-06-20 15:19:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,275
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15537114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelsSelene/pseuds/AngelsSelene
Summary: Based on this prompt:“She wonders why I don’t hug her anymore. But her father gave her iron jewellery for her birthday and she wears it all the time. Why didn’t her just tell her that I’m a Fae? She’d break up with me then anyway. If he knows then why the elaborate games trying to keep me away from her?”





	Iron Jewellery

**Author's Note:**

> Based on the prompt by Maris Mackay. I saw it on Pinterest and I couldn’t get it out of my head. (Title belongs to him/her too) Also what better way than to write it for our favourite couple; Malec. I’m just starting to get back into writing after almost taking a break that ended up being a 3-year hiatus. Do send me some constructive feedback. I do realise that the character will seem a bit off but I’ll work hard on getting better. Also I wasn’t planning on including Maryse, Izzy or Jace but somehow I wrote them in. Thank You!
> 
>  
> 
> This is the original prompt, (obviously I changed the genders and some things):  
> “She wonders why I don’t hug her anymore. But her father gave her iron jewellery for her birthday and she wears it all the time. Why didn’t her just tell her that I’m a Fae? She’d break up with me then anyway. If he knows then why the elaborate games trying to keep me away from her?”

Magnus sighed as he made his way into the clearing deep in the woods. He was on his way to meet his boyfriend. It has been nearly three months since Alec’s birthday and he knew the younger man was noticing the growing distance between them. He dropped to his knees beside a fallen nest and helped the mother bird pick up the eggs that were miraculously unharmed and tucked them into the new nest that she had built. 

“He wonders why I don’t touch him anymore…” he whispered to the little blue bird, tickling it under its chin, “His father gave him some iron jewellery for his birthday and he wears the ring and chain all the time. How am I supposed to touch him? Why didn’t his father just tell him that I’m a Fae? He’d break up with me then anyway. If Robert knows… then why the elaborate games, trying to keep me away from him?”

The bird twittered sympathetically before hopping into the nest to keep her eggs warm. Magnus sighed heavily, what is he going to do now? Resuming his walk, Magnus reached Alec’s and his meeting place. With the sun in just the right angle, Alec looked so ethereal; his dark hair glowing as the wind danced through the soft curls. Magnus gasps and a smile widened on his lips, he would never get used to the view that is his angelic boyfriend. His Alexander is a beautiful man and Magnus was very sure that not one other person in their little town would ever be as lucky as him. His body moved as though it couldn’t stay away from his other half anymore. Bending over his head, Magnus pressed a quick kiss on Alec’s forehead before nuzzling into his hair.

“Magnus,” Alec breathed out with a small, tensed smile on his face as he turned to face away from the setting sun.

He reached out with his hand and tried to touch the older man’s cheek but Magnus chose that exact moment to move away and sit opposite him. Magnus leaned back on his hands and turned his face into the warm light of the setting sun. With his eyes closed, he missed the way Alec frowned sadly at his partner. Alec bit his lip lightly before starting a conversation with the man who seemed like he’d rather ignore his own boyfriend in favour of feeling the last warm rays of the sun before it set for the day.

“Uh… Magnus... I don’t know if you’ve heard,” Alec started talking softly, not wanting to disturb whatever peace that his gorgeous boyfriend had found in the nature.

Magnus hummed invitingly, peeking at Alec with one eye to show that he was paying attention. He never expected the next words out of Alec’s mouth to be something that he feared very much. 

“My father found out that there is a Fae in town. He’s gathering some sort of hunting party to-” Alec broke off suddenly, taken aback by his partner’s reaction. 

Magnus’s eyes widened in shock and fear as his body tensed up. Alec tried to comfort his lover; completely misreading the situation. He sat up quickly as got as close to his suddenly fearful boyfriend as possible without touching him. 

“Magnus? Magnus, what’s wrong? Hey, please don’t be scared. Faes aren’t exactly evil people. They wouldn’t hurt us. They definitely wouldn’t hurt you. You’re too kind to everyone and everything… Magnus, you even love the nature just as they do. I’m sure they wouldn’t hurt you or anyone here. Besides, I’ll be by your side, I won’t let anyone hurt you,” Alec whispered urgently, gazing deeply into his partner’s eyes as he brought up his hand to hold Magnus’s head up, giving him no chance to avoid his eyes. As Magnus continued to stare at him blankly, Alec continued on pressing closer to his boyfriend with his hand on Magnus’s thigh, “Besides I just want whoever it is to escape before my father catches up with him or her… They are kind people, I know they are.”

Magnus continued to stare at his boyfriend in shock. Tears pooled in his eyes as pure relief coursed through his body. Alec wasn’t scared of Faes. No, of course he wasn’t. His beautiful Alexander just wanted to protect them. How Alec ever got his information on Faes… he’d just have to ask and find out. Just when he thought he couldn’t love the man more, he was proven completely wrong. Lifting his hand to wipe his eyes, he heard Alec gasp as the younger man quickly got onto his knees, gripping Magnus’s shoulder hard. Magnus could feel the panic rising in his love’s heart as his grip on his shoulder tightened. Still rendered speechless by Alec’s generosity and kindness, Magnus grasped Alec’s hand tightly in his; trying to show through his gestures what his voice was failing to do. Unprepared for the pain that coursed through arm, Magnus let out a little whimper as the smell of burning flesh quickly rose from their clasped hands. 

Gasping in surprise, Alec tore his hand away from Magnus’s only to pause and stare at the man who just stared at him with a carefully blank expression. Despite the cold mask he wore, Magnus’s teary eyes were filled with pain and fear. Looking back at his palm, Alec checked his palm for any injuries that would have caused the burning smell. Finding nothing, he gestured for Magnus to turn his hand so that his palm faced the sky. Putting all his fears on the line, Magnus took a deep breath and kept his gaze on his Alexander’s reaction as he slowly flipped his hand over. Wincing, Alec went to touch the raised mark on Magnus’s palm. The injury looked as though he was burned by a hot iron. He glanced back at his hand, only to freeze in surprise and understanding. 

“So this is why you didn’t want to touch me…” he mused sorrowfully, Magnus just continued staring at the human. The pain in his eyes slowly getting replaced with curiosity. “Magnus... why- how is this happening? Is it me? I can’t touch you anymore? Forever?” Alec blurted out in a state of confusion and panic.

Furrowing his eyebrow in confusion, Magnus replied in a low voice, “Why would you want to touch me?” 

With that one line, Alec’s entire being seemed to deflate into himself as his sorrowful expression melted into one of surprise and pain. Dropping Magnus’s hand carefully on his leg, he rocked back to settle his weight on his ankles, “ I-I just thought… that you’d still lov- want… me? I mean I know it’s dangerous for you considering my dad is hunting you and- uh… you’d probably want to leave town and be safe. I don’t know- I don’t know why I thought that.”

Letting out a watery laugh, Alec stood up, “I better head back home. I can keep my dad busy while you leave this place. If you don’t mind, could you write to me? For old times sake, I mean? Or-or just to let me know that you’re safe? I’ll make sure my father doesn’t find out that you’re the Fae. I promise…” With that he started to walk off, only for Magnus to grab onto his pant leg and refuse to let go. 

“You are an idiot, my love. I just wanted to know why you’d want to continue to be with me after knowing that I’m the Fae that your father is hunting…” Magnus rolled his eyes, body finally fully relaxed. “Don’t leave, I only can’t touch you… Actually I can touch you, you just can’t touch me if you’re wearing your ring and hugging me with no shirt on, is a no too… unless you remove your necklace. It’s the iron… and I’m not going anywhere. I guess I should have known that you wouldn’t leave me just cause I’m a Fae,” Magnus laughed freely and smiled widely at the taller man who just stared at him, a smile growing on his face, “Want to give me a proper kiss, human? Come on, what are you waiting for? My neck hurts from staring up at you, Alexander… I know you like this positi-”

Being careful not to touch him with the iron, Alec pressed their lips together to stop Magnus from completing his sentence. Pulling back with laughter, Alec ripped the necklace off his neck and removed his ring. Throwing them carelessly on the grass, he pulled Magnus back into a crushing hug.

“I love you so much.”

“You never cease to amaze me, my Alexander.”

 

***

 

Weeks passed, Alec and Magnus continued to meet each other in secret. Although, Alec’s father had no opposition to them being together the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the town. Both of them went to work as usual. Alec accompanied his father as he stood to inherit the position of head of the town after his father steps down. Magnus, on the other hand, worked in the orchard. He loved nature and the nature loved him back. As a spirit of the nature, he was able to help the plants bear healthy fruits and vegetables. This way, the markets and merchants could sell better food. 

“Magnus!” Alec called out once he reached their clearing.

Smiling widely, he ran towards Magnus and pulled him into a tight hug. Magnus tightened his lips as he grinned uncomfortably, waiting for the pain that the burn of the iron jewellery brought. Silent seconds passed as his tension gave way to surprise which turned into confusion. Holding the younger man at an arm’s length away, Magnus made sure that Alec was still wearing his jewellery. Laughing with pure joy at managing to surprise his usually observant boyfriend, Alec settled more comfortably, laying his head on Magnus’s lap. Pulling his boyfriend’s head down into a quick kiss, Alec took off his ring and slipped into onto the index finger of Magnus’s left hand. 

“Alexander… W-what are you doing?” Magnus panicked, trying to pull his hand away. 

Alec just rolled his eyes and held his hand steady. Slipping the ring on his finger, Alec smirked smugly at Magnus. It didn’t burn. There was no familiar smell of burning flesh and most importantly; there was no pain. Magnus stared at his hand before turning to face his beau. 

“Alexander? What did you do?” Magnus whispered, holding his boyfriend close.

“I swapped out my iron jewellery for steel ones. I mean the only reason my father gave me these were to make sure that the Fae wouldn’t get to me,” he explained with a proud smile, fingers playing with the locks of brown hair at the back of Magnus’s neck, “Since I am dating the Fae, it’s more a burden than a protection anyway.” 

“I love you so much…” Magnus whispered as he hid his tears with his hand, “You’re definitely more than I ever deserve.”

Alec laughed nervously, “You can say that after to agree to the rest of my plans…”

At that Magnus lift his head from his hand to look at his boyfriend, seeing the excited glint in his eyes he sighed and hugged the younger man closer, “You can have whatever you want, Alexander. All you have to do is ask.”

Alec grinned boldly, “My father is getting impatient with the lack of response from his hunting party. He doesn’t know how long it’ll take for the “Fae” to be found so… I told my father that you had an idea to keep me safe from this big bad Fae… I told him that you wanted to take me out of the town for awhile just until this problem is solved. You and I can get out of town just to be safe. He wants to talk to you about your plans but he did agree. If you don’t mind trading one small town for another, we could leave and you’ll be safe from whatever my father is planning, dear.”

“Are you asking me to elope with you, darling?” Magnus asked the younger man, a mock frown on his face, “Cause if you are… then there is this wonderful little town in the South- it’s not very far so you can definitely come back here should you want to and well your father will be able to come visit us. They are also very open-minded and we wouldn’t have to hide like we are doing now. It is also legal for us to get married there; just like anyone else.”

Jumping up excitedly, Alec tugged at Magnus’s arm, “Let’s go talk to my father now. By this time tomorrow, we’ll be out of here. Also, I love you, but if you really want us to get married, I’m going to need a better proposal than that.”

Laughing heartily, both men wrapped their arms around one another enjoying one last embrace before they had to leave the safety that the darkness of the woods provided. 

 

***

 

Later that night Magnus joined the Lightwoods at their house for dinner. Robert and Maryse welcomed their son’s boyfriend into his home with a wide smile and a firm handshake. For someone who was hunting Magnus down, Robert loved his future son-in-law very much. Dinner went well as usual. The family sat at the table talking about their day at their respective jobs. Robert gave them updates on the hunt for the Fae while Maryse continued to ladle food into their plates. Isabelle, being a dear, continued to shift the topic from the very troubling to her new jewellery business. She sold self-made jewellery, a trade that was clearly doing her good. She continued to share her newer ideas, asking Magnus for his opinions on designs and colours. Soon the unusually silent Lightwood, Jace brought up the topic of Alec leaving town. At that Robert mentioned that he thought the Fae had run away the moment he or she realised that they were being hunted down. 

“Those creatures,” Robert started as he got up to put his dishes away, “I know the legends of them being peaceful beings of nature but never ever make the mistake of ever trusting one of them, boys. They will pretend to be all nice and peace-loving until they stab you in the back.” 

“Robert! We don’t need to speak like that in from of our guests,” Maryse called out with a warning glare, “Is it not good enough that we aren’t stopping you from your so called ‘duty from the angel’? Faes are nice people and I sure hope they got away.”

“Dad, come on…” Isabelle and Jace spoke up in surprise, they didn’t realise that Robert’s prejudiced behaviour was rooted so deep. 

“I mean no offence, sir but it seems like you’ve just had one bad experience with one of them? Maybe it’ll be better to not judge the entire community based off the actions of one individual?” Magnus spoke up, his body tensed although his voice was low and unthreatening. 

Robert glanced over at him sharply, “You sounds like you know what you’re talking about, boy… Maybe you’re exactly who I am looking f-”

“Robert!”

“Dad, Magnus,” Alec called their attention to him, his voice sharp with warning as he cut his father off, putting his right hand over Magnus’s left hand, letting his ring brush against his boyfriend’s bare skin, “Come on, we just had a nice dinner. We were going to talk about leaving town until you caught the Fae. We don’t have to argue now, do we? Besides, you know how Magnus is with death. He doesn’t even like it when insects die, it makes sense for him to stand up for the life of a person.”

Robert nodded in agreement, although he continued to eye Magnus suspiciously, “Sorry Magnus, why don’t you help Alec pack? You would have to leave early in the morning if you want to reach wherever you boys are going before dark.”

“All is well, sir. Goodnight, please rest well,” Magnus greeted Robert as he smiled softly at Alec who pressed a quick kiss to the hand he was holding, “We’ll go ahead and pack now.”

 

***

 

Inside Alec’s room, Magnus fell back onto the bed. Rubbing his temples, he turned to face the back of his boyfriend who was busy packing his things. Turning so that he could bury his face into the pillow, Magnus grumbled to his partner. 

“You should just let me educate your father, Alexander. He can’t go on thinking like this. This blatant discrimination could lead to something worse in the future. What were you thinking?”

Dumping his clothes and necessary things into the open bag next to Magnus’s body, Alec rolled his eyes before replying, “What was I thinking indeed? He could have found out that you were the one he was looking for. You are in his house and you want to educate the man who is hunting you. Smart move, Magnus.” 

Pouting, Magnus pulled the younger man down onto the bed so that he could lay his head on his shoulder as he continued to grumble softly despite knowing that Alec was right to have stepped in, “But still…” 

“But nothing,” Alec frowned as he continued to pack, “You are literally the only Fae here for miles. He’s not going to hurt anyone else and besides, I want you in one piece.”

Pushing Magnus’s hair back, he shook his head. He grabbed an extra set of clothes for Magnus from the drawer next to his bed and pushed the older man into the bathroom so that he could get ready for bed. 

“Goodnight Magnus,” Alec whispered into the still air as Magnus tucked himself between Alec’s shoulder and the bed, trying to make himself comfortable.

 

***

 

The next morning greeted them with its usual bright glare. Alec stretched as he tried to wake Magnus up. 

“No,” Magnus mumbled incoherently before slamming another pillow over his head to block the sunlight and burrowing into the blankets. 

“You’re so adorable when you’re like this…” Alec whispered to himself before he dragged the blanket off of the older man and woke him up, “See you downstairs in thirty minutes, Magnus. My father told us to leave as early as possible.”

“Hmm, I’ll be there,” Magnus replied gruffly before pouting at Alec who just laughed and walked out of his room to use the bathroom in the guest room. 

Breakfast was a quiet as Robert read his newspaper while Magnus and Alec ate and continued to get ready to leave. Maryse and Isabelle made sure that the boys had everything they need with them. As much as Isabelle hated doing stereotypically female duties; she was sure that if she let the two boys do things by themselves, they will never survive. Jace went off to fill the tank in the car so that Alec wouldn’t have to stop on the way to the next town. The boys still had to stop at Magnus’s house before they left so they were hurrying. Once Alec got everything ready, Magnus left to load his bags into the car as the Lightwoods said goodbye to their eldest son. After promising to come back when the problem goes away, Alec hugged his siblings once more before leaving to join Magnus in the car. Taking a deep breath, Alec gave Magnus a tight smile. Gesturing for him to start driving, Alec held onto Magnus’s left hand. He was doing this to protect the love of his life and whatever happens after this, they will face it together.

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that they may be a little out of character. I'll do better with practice! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Fic hashtag: #IronJewelleryFIc (Thanks Tiffy for the live tweeting~)
> 
> PS: Thanks to @ShadowDee_1234 on Twitter for being so encouraging when I told her that I was trying to get back into writing. This is for you~


End file.
